Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed Britain will not tolerate people feeling threatened “because of their background or the colour of their skin” after a huge far-right protest in London descended into violent clashes with police.
Speaking on Sunday, Starmer delivered his first response to Saturday’s rally, organised by activist Tommy Robinson and attended by up to 150,000 people. The prime minister condemned both the attacks on officers and the intimidation witnessed on the streets.
“Peaceful protest is a core British value,” Starmer said on X. “But we will not stand for assaults on police officers or for people feeling intimidated because of who they are.”
The Labour leader, who was targeted by criticism during the rally, added that Britain’s flag “represents a diverse country” and must never be surrendered “to those who use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division”.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed 24 arrests so far, with suspects aged between 19 and 58. Twenty-six officers were injured, four seriously, after being kicked, punched and pelted with bottles and flares. More arrests are expected as detectives study footage.
Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” march crossed Westminster Bridge before gathering near Downing Street, where far-right figures from across Europe and North America addressed the crowd. X owner Elon Musk, speaking via video link, called for the dissolution of Parliament and warned: “Violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.”
Anti-racism group Hope Not Hate described the rally as Britain’s largest ever far-right protest, warning it marked the “normalisation of viciously anti-migrant, anti-Muslim sentiment”.